Letting out a heavy sigh, I told Jeanette I’d be there right away. After I hung up, I texted Hendrix:What the hell is this meeting about?
Hendrix: Hell if I know. Could be anything.
I stared at the wall, my mind racing with wild scenarios. It wasn’t uncommon for my grandmother to summon us to her office on a whim, but I’d learned the hard way that Granny never wasted time on meaningless things. She definitely had a plan of action, she never held her tongue, and she always got her way.
Five minutes later, I entered the conference room. I half expected to find my uncle sitting next to Granny, vying for attention, but John wasn’t in the room. Only me, my sister, and all the cousins minus one. I took the empty seat next to Erica on the other end of the room, far away from my grandmother.
“What’s up,” I grumbled.
Erica leaned in. “You fucked up, brother,” she tossed back with a wicked gleam in her eyes and a smirk on her lips. “I caught that Ms. Tea post this morning.”
“Shut up,” I murmured through clenched teeth. “Any idea what we’re doing here?”
Hendrix walked into the room and sat next to me. “Interesting,” he whispered. “No Uncle Fathead, no mom? It might be a trap.”
Erica snickered. “Maybe she found out about your affair with Jeanette?” she mused quietly. I choked on the water I’d just gulped down, and Erica patted my back. “You okay, Wes?”
Wiping my tie with a napkin, I assured her, “I’m good.”
Hendrix glared at her. “What part of mind your own damn business don’t you understand?”
Erica shrugged. “I might need to call in a favor later. So I pay attention.”
“Who are you? The bone collector?” Hen argued.
I often wondered the same thing. I loved my sister, but she spent a lot of time collecting dirt on everyone in the family. I’d once assumed it was a defense mechanism. After our father died, we lost almost everything and were forced to move out of Detroit due to the stigma—and the threats. On top of that, John ensured much of the extended family treated us like peasants. For a long time, the only contact we had in the family was … the woman staring at me right now.
I elbowed Hen to get his attention, but my cousin was too busy whisper-yelling at my little sister.
“Or you could always just ask for what you need,” Hendrix said. “No need for blackmail.”
“Where’s Cyn?” Erica said, changing the subject.
I cleared my throat again. “Heads up.”
They both knew what that meant, and all conversation ceased instantly. Granny met my gaze again before she scanned the room.
“I’m surprised you called us here today, Granny,” Jackson said in his usual constipated tone. Jackson was just like his father, John. Arrogant. Hypocritical. Liked to hear himself talk.
“I’m surprised you called us here today, Granny,” Erica mocked, under her breath.
Hendrix shook his head. “Fucking clown.”
My cousin and my sister gave each other a fist bump, previous conflict forgotten.
Granny eyed me, her light brown eyes assessing me thoughtfully.Shit, she knows.
As if my sister had read my mind, she whispered, “Oh shit, Wes. You’re in trouble.”
“Big trouble,” Hendrix cosigned.
Granny stood, setting her glasses down on the table and smoothing a hand over her salt-and-pepper hair. Although she would be considered petite to an average observer, to me she seemed larger than life, taller than her five-foot-four frame. I had never seen her frazzled or nervous. She exuded confidence in everything. No hair out of place, no sign of a wrinkle in her clothes, no visible flaw in her appearance. The years had been good to her. Dressed in a fitted navy pantsuit and white blouse, she looked closer to fifty-five than seventy-five with flawless mocha skin and a sassy short haircut. I knew it had a lot to do with how she lived her life, always active. Judging by her choice of shoes—a pair of blue Nike Air Max sneakers—she was planning a workout of some sort. When she wasn’t on the golf course, she was walking in the park, doing yoga with her friends, and riding her Peloton in her home or office gym. Granny ate clean, never ate fried food, and stayed away from liquor.
“Where’s Cyn?” one of my cousins asked. I didn’t bother looking to see which one had spoken because I didn’t care.
“She’s out of town,” Hendrix replied. “I’ll fill her in.”
“No need,” Granny said. “I’ll speak with Cynthia myself.” She cleared her throat. “This won’t take too long. I need everyone’s attention.”
